Allie ran a hand down one of the freshly tiled bathrooms on the second floor of the resort. The elongated hexagon marble tiles with hints of cream, gold and gray were beautiful, and her team had laid them perfectly.
Everything was really coming together with the renovations at Hank’s old resort. And she couldn’t help wondering what the old man would think of the new look. But then, she also wondered what the resort’s current owner would think.
Vaughn had come to her parents’ place for dinner two weeks in a row, and his friendship with her brother had kicked up a notch since then. Vaughn had been hanging out with her brothers and their friends when he wasn’t back in LA for one reason or another. But things between Vaughn and Allie had definitely cooled.
The anxious resort owner had stopped making random pop-in visits during the day to check out the progress of the renovations. His calls were far less frequent. When he did call, Vaughn kept things friendly but focused on the business at hand. There had been none of the teasing and flirting that had been common between them in the weeks prior to him coming to dinner. In fact, it was beginning to feel like Vaughn was intentionally avoiding her.
Had her dad or one of her brothers warned him off?
Allie completed her walk-through before locking the resort up. It was a Wednesday evening and her entire crew was gone. If she had to guess, most of them were probably trying to catch happy hour at the local watering hole. But they’d worked hard and certainly deserved it.
There had been a few setbacks, but they were back on schedule again. The walls had been painted. The hardwood flooring had been installed throughout the first floor and the tiling had been done in all of the bathrooms. Custom cabinets would be installed in the kitchen the next day.
It was an exciting stage. So after wanting to be involved every step of the way early in the process, it seemed odd that Vaughn suddenly seemed to have lost interest in the project. Or perhaps it was her that he’d lost interest in.
Allie couldn’t help thinking of that first evening Vaughn had come to her parents’ house for dinner. It had been an amazing night—despite her mother’s matchmaking shenanigans. But to say that Allie had been disappointed when Vaughn had passed on the chance to kiss her not once but twice that evening was like saying that the gray-haired, aging-like-fine-wine Chris Pine was just a man or that the incredible Denzel Washington was simply an actor.
She certainly hadn’t prompted her brother to invite Vaughn Reed to their family dinner for the purpose of making out with him. But when they’d been alone in the den to go over the photo albums, the opportunity had presented itself. Then when Vaughn had walked Allie to her car at the end of the night, they’d stood together in the dim light cast by one of the outdoor lights. The way he’d looked at her, neither of them speaking for a moment, she’d been so sure that Vaughn would kiss her good night. But he hadn’t.
Instead, Vaughn had given her a warm, friendly hug. Then he stepped back and waited patiently for her to get into her car and drive off. Twenty minutes later, Vaughn texted Allie to make sure she’d made it home okay. When she’d assured him she had, he texted back to say he’d had a great time with her family and then wished her a good night.
Allie had gone home frustrated and yet still giddy about having spent such a wonderful evening with Vaughn and with her family. But since then, she’d barely heard from him.
Still, he couldn’t avoid her forever, and tonight she needed to speak with him. They were at the point where they needed to make some decisions about the decor. So after she locked up the house, she walked the short path over to his cabin. His rental car was in the drive but when she knocked at the door, there was no answer, despite the front door being ajar. Allie knocked again, but then she noticed Vaughn over by the pool.
She walked over to the pool and joined him. He was wearing earbuds and seemed completely lost in thought as he stared into the water. Yet, when she walked up and stood beside him, he didn’t seem startled.
Vaughn flashed her an almost shy smile.
“Hey.” He pulled the buds from his ears and shoved them into the pockets of his classic B-3 style sheepskin leather bomber jacket in a cognac brown. Then he shoved his hands into the pockets of his dark jeans.
“Hey.” Allie glanced around at the pool deck and waved a hand. “This is all going to look completely unrecognizable soon.”
“I know.” There was a hint of nostalgia and perhaps regret in Vaughn’s voice.
Allie turned to him, concerned. There was definitely something going on with Vaughn.
“I thought you were excited about revamping the old pool? You said you wanted to make this the kind of indoor spa resort pool high-end guests would expect.”
“It’s what a spa of this caliber demands.”
“Then why the long face?”
Vaughn stared at the steam rising from the heated pool in the crisp, fall Wyoming air. “Do you remember how it was a thing for local teens to sneak up here and take an unauthorized midnight swim in the pool?”
A faint smile curved Allie’s mouth. She couldn’t speak from experience, but she’d heard her older brothers talk about taking The Plunge.
“Sure. Why?”
“I never did.” Vaughn kicked at a stone on the concrete deck with the toe of his black, Old Skool Vans sneakers. He had the shoes—with their classic white Sidestripe—in at least four or five different colors.
“You’re kidding?” Allie folded her arms and cocked a hip. “Manny, Rey, and Rafi have done it lots of times. I just assumed you were with them on at least one of those adventures.”
“I was.” He rubbed his chin. “But after my time in foster care, I was terrified of doing anything that would make my parents want to send me away. I served as a lookout, but I wouldn’t go onto the property. So the next few times the fellas went, they went without me.” Vaughn shrugged. “I can’t blame them. They thought I was being a santurrón.” His pronunciation of the word was perfect.
“They thought you were being a holier than thou, Goody Two-shoes, when the truth was that you were terrified the Reeds would send you back.” It broke Allie’s heart to say the words aloud. “I’m so sorry, Vaughn. I know your mom and dad didn’t do anything to make you feel that way, but still...no kid should live with that kind of constant pressure.”
She squeezed his large hand with her gloved one.
But the gesture didn’t ease the tension in Vaughn’s shoulders. It seemed to heighten it.
Allie released his hand and tried not to take his reaction as an insult.
“If it makes you feel better, I never took The Plunge either,” she said.
“That’s surprising.” Vaughn cocked his head.
“Why?”
“Because you were a rebel and a badass. You were always pushing the limits to see what your parents and brothers would let you get away with.” Vaughn rubbed his bearded chin.
His chin-length hair was pulled up into his preferred man bun. She resisted the urge to run her fingers along the buzzed sides of his head.
“I might’ve pushed the boundaries a little, but I wouldn’t go straight to badass.” Allie grinned.
“Well, you’re definitely a badass now.” His smile widened and his dark eyes twinkled. “You stand your ground with your dad, your brothers, even your mom when you need to. You haven’t allowed any of them to dictate your personal life or your role in the business.” Vaughn placed his large hands on her shoulders. “I’m proud of you for that, Allie.”
His words made her heart swell, and her eyes stung a little. She wasn’t sure why Vaughn’s praise hit so hard, but it definitely felt like the thing she needed to hear right now.
“Thanks for saying that, Vaughn. I’m proud of you, too.”
He dropped his hands from her shoulders and rubbed his chin again. “So why didn’t you ever take The Plunge?”
“Honestly? I got into it enough with my parents back then. I didn’t need the added grief of getting hauled in for trespassing. Just didn’t seem like the risk was worth it.” She shrugged. “But now you kind of have me feeling like I missed my moment, too.”
They both stared at the water regretfully for a few moments, neither of them speaking.
Allie took off one glove and stooped down to slip her hand in the water. It was really warm while the temperature around them was in the mid-forties. No wonder there was so much steam coming off the water.
She stood, staring at Vaughn for a moment. She worried her teeth with her lower lip, her brain churning. Finally, Allie sucked in a deep breath, her eyes closed momentarily.
Allie was either going to break the ice that seemed to have formed between them in the past couple of weeks or she was going to make a complete fool of herself in a way she might never recover from. But it was Vaughn...so she had to try.
“We’re standing here regretting not having taken The Plunge—a rite of passage for every kid that grew up here in Willowvale Springs,” she said. “But the pool isn’t gone yet. So it’s not too late to take our place in the annals of town history.” She offered a hopeful smile.
“Wait...you’re talking right now?”
“Why not?” Allie asked.
“It’s near freezing out,” he noted in disbelief. “Besides, I’m pretty sure that neither of us brought a swimming suit.”
“Neither did most of the kids who took The Plunge.” She shrugged. “They just stripped down to their underwear and hopped in. So why can’t we?”
“You’re not serious,” he said.
“Watch me.” Allie grinned maniacally.
She unzipped her parka and tossed it into a nearby chair, followed by her sweater and the shirt she was wearing beneath it. The air was frigid, but she was too far in to turn back now. She kicked off her platform heel Doc Martens boots—a holdover from her emo period. Then she shrugged off the slim jeans that clung to her curves.
Allie danced from one foot to the other as she stood there on the concrete deck in her sports bra, a pair of boy shorts and her bare feet. She rubbed her arms.
“Don’t tell me that the bad boy rock star is going to chicken out?” She raised an eyebrow, nearly biting her tongue from shivering.
“It’s not considered chickening out when I never committed to doing this in the first place,” he reminded her.
Technically true.
“C’mon, Vaughn. Two minutes ago you were commiserating about never having had your chance to do this. There’s no one here but us. So here’s your chance to correct that. What’s wrong? Did you go commando today?” Allie poked him in the gut and laughed when his eyes widened. “If so, don’t worry,” she whispered loudly. “It won’t be the first peen I’ve seen, and it definitely won’t be the last. So relax.”
Allie took a deep breath, stepped to the edge of the pool and jumped in. It was a shock to the system, but the water was soothing and warm. After a minute or so, she felt great. Now it was up to Vaughn whether he decided to join her or not.
It won’t be the first peen I’ve seen, and it definitely won’t be the last. So relax.
The first part of Allie’s statement hadn’t bothered him. She was a stunning, confident, thirty-year-old woman. It wasn’t surprising that she’d had past relationships. He’d certainly had his share, including a marriage that had failed spectacularly.
It was the latter part of Allie’s declaration that had snatched Vaughn by the throat and was currently squeezing the air out of his lungs.
It definitely won’t be the last.
Why should that matter to him? He and Allie weren’t involved. In fact, Vaughn had spent the weeks since he’d gone to dinner at the Prices’ home trying to create distance between himself and the woman whose wit, charm and beauty had driven him to near obsession since his return.
He’d spent time hanging out with her brothers. He’d made another brief trip to LA. And he’d forced himself not to check in on Allie or the project unless it was absolutely necessary. Instead, he’d waited until Allie and her crew had left for the day before he’d venture over to see how things were going. And he’d repeated the rules in his head many times since encountering the grown-ass woman version of the girl whose sincere marriage proposals he’d had to reject repeatedly.
Vaughn squeezed his eyes shut and silently recited the rules.
Don’t think with your dick. Never get involved with your best friend’s sister. Always consider your career first. Never fall in love.
But all of the warning bells that had helped Vaughn make good decisions thus far where his best friend’s little sister was concerned currently seemed to be malfunctioning. Because the only voice he heard in his head now was Allie’s. She was inviting him to join her with the promise that the water was fine. All while swimming in her lacy, black underwear—a vision he would probably never get out of his head—like she was an Afro-Latina version of legendary synchronized swimmer Esther Williams or Halle Bailey as The Little Mermaid.
“Are you praying or are you in the midst of a medical emergency right now?” Allie clung to the side of the pool and peered at him with a mixture of concern and amusement. “Blink twice if you can hear me,” she added when he didn’t respond.
He blinked twice because he could be as much of a smart ass as she could. Then he rubbed his forehead and sighed. “The answer, by the way, is neither. I was just considering all the reasons this is a terrible idea.”
Allie assessed him for a moment with her head cocked, as if she was trying to decide whether to say what she was thinking.
As much as he wanted to know, a part of him was equally hesitant to find out.
“What I’m hearing is that you really want to join me, but that part of your brain that is still conditioned not to disappoint people is interfering.” She stated the words without judgment. “So if you’re worried that my parents or my brothers won’t approve, here’s your reminder that I’m a thirty-year-old woman who has the right to do what she wants—regardless of whether my family approves of my choices.”
Vaughn didn’t respond, so Allie continued.
“If you’re worried whether it’s inappropriate for us to be in a whole ass swimming pool together wearing nothing but our underwear, I should tell you that my actual swimming suits are far more revealing than what I’m wearing now. And I’m pretty damn sure I’ve seen you in one of those candid celeb magazines wearing a Speedo that was like two sizes too small.” Allie held up two fingers for emphasis. “So, like everyone else who saw that photo online, I’ve pretty much seen the goods.”
“It was France, Allie. You literally cannot wear swim trunks to the pool there,” Vaughn felt the need to point out.
“Why doesn’t matter, Vaughn. The point is I’ve seen what you’re working with.” Allie winked, then swam away so gracefully it looked like she was born doing the backstroke. “You’re not really going to make me do this alone, are you?”
Allie’s toned arms and thighs sliced through the water as she lay on her back.
“Fuck it,” Vaughn whispered under his breath. He shrugged out of his expensive coat, then stripped out of all the other layers of clothing meant to protect him from the frigid air, which was growing colder as evening descended.
He was probably going to die of pneumonia or suffer penile frostbite like Prince Harry. Either consequence he’d probably deserve because this was an awful idea and he knew it. Only he couldn’t resist joining Allie in the pool. Partly, because she was right. He’d regret not taking The Plunge at least once before the old pool was demolished. But also because he seemed to have zero resistance when it came to Allie Price.
Vaughn had taken off everything except his black boxer briefs and his jewelry—a couple of rings and the sun, moon and stars necklace he wore almost constantly. He stepped to the edge of the pool, dismissed all the thoughts of how Mr. Price and Rey would both want to strangle him, then jumped into the water.
He’d gone from freezing to warm and now he was surrounded by a soothing heat as he tried to get oriented in the space. Vaughn blinked, wiping water from his eyes as his gaze swept the pool looking for Allie.
“You did it!” Allie wrapped her limbs around him like an octopus as she hugged his neck from behind, her lips pressed to his ear. “Didn’t it feel amazing?”
Actually, what felt amazing was having Allie’s full breasts smushed against the top of his back and the warm space between her thighs pressed just above his ass. But saying so didn’t seem like a very good idea.
“It did,” Vaughn said instead, still wiping water from his eyes.
“Race you?” Allie let go of him, and he missed her warmth and the heavenly feel of the curves he’d dreamed about most nights for the past few weeks.
By the time his brain seemed to be fully functioning again, Allie had taken off for one end of the pool. And instead of her smooth, fluid movements that barely disturbed the surface of the water, she employed big kicks that intentionally doused him, all while laughing her ass off.
Vaughn shook his head and took off after her, splashing as much water onto her as he could along the way, both of them laughing.
“Okay, now that we’re both sufficiently wet—” Allie tightened her loosening ponytail “—here are the rules... We go all the way to that end and back. Whoever hits this wall—with any body part of your choosing, preferably not your head,” she added. Likely because he’d done just that when he’d gone on a trip to Florida with her family when he was about fifteen and had nearly cracked his head open. “That person is the winner. Simple as that.”
“And what exactly is it that we win?” Vaughn stretched his arms and shoulders in preparation for their impromptu race.
Allie considered his question. “How about we let the winner decide?”
“That sounds dangerous.”
“We’re both sensible people,” Allie said. “I trust that you won’t demand my car or a pro bono house build.”
“Good point.” Vaughn rubbed his hands together.
“I am not getting out of this water until it’s time for us to leave.” Allie seemed to shiver at the thought. “So how about we both place our feet against the wall?”
Vaughn nodded and placed one foot against the wall.
Allie counted them down, then they both took off as quickly as they could.
Vaughn had a little bit of a lead at first with his longer legs and arms. But by the time they’d reached the opposite wall, Allie had caught up with him, and by the time she’d hit the midway point of the final lap, she was well ahead of him. He managed to regain some ground, but Allie went into another gear and made a mad dash at the end. She touched the wall and shouted in triumph a few seconds ahead of him.
“You were toying with me that entire time, weren’t you?” Vaughn dragged a hand down his face, wiping water from his eyes. “You could’ve left me in the dust and completely whipped my ass, couldn’t you?”
Allie shrugged and gave him a sheepish smile. “If I’d beaten you too badly, you wouldn’t have wanted to race again.”
“Okay, that’s it, kid.” He shook a finger at her. “Best two out of three?”
“Why not?” Allie shrugged. “But are you sure you don’t need a Bengay break first?”
“Oh, you’re funny.” Vaughn shifted an eyebrow and rubbed his hands together eagerly. “Go ahead. Talk your shit, little girl. I’m fueled by my haters. You ain’t got nothin’ on the Reasons I Hate Vaughn Reed manifesto created by VaughReedSucks382.”
“People actually do things like that?” Allie’s dark eyes filled with compassion. “God, that’s awful. What kind of person does something like that?”
“A crappy one.” Vaughn focused on the other end of the pool. Now wasn’t the time to evaluate the level of misery that would make a person put that much time and effort into hating him. “This time, we go on my count. Ready, set, GO!”
Vaughn put every bit of effort into hitting that first wall first. Maybe he should’ve paced himself because his breathing was labored as he made his way back, and Allie started to gain on him. But as she closed in on him, he got another burst of energy, pushed hard and touched the wall a full half-length ahead of her.
Allie laughed at his celebratory jig. “Fine, you won. We’re tied,” she said. “That means this last one is for all the marbles. You need a breather, old man?”
“No.” He did, but he wasn’t about to admit that to her when she looked like a goddess emerging from her watery kingdom. “Do you?”
“You’re cute.” Allie laughed, then patted his chest. She turned to face ahead, then angled her neck, as if trying to get out any kinks or stiffness. She stretched her arms above her head and arched her back, giving him an eye-popping view of the full breasts that were one stiff breeze shy of escaping the lacy, black sports bra.
Not fair, Allie. Not fair at all.
But he wouldn’t admit that to her either.
Allie counted down and they took off, neck and neck for most of the race. At the tail end of the final stretch, he was exhausted, but trying to push forward. Allie seemed to sense as much. She surged forward with an outstretched hand and touched the wall just a fraction of a second before he managed to.
“Ha! I won. Take that,” Allie raised a fist in victory as she bounced on her heels.
Vaughn couldn’t help wondering how she managed to keep the girls contained in that lace bra. But the feat made her victory dance far more impressive than his. Moments like this—spent with Allie and her family—had been the most fun he’d had in a really long time.
Was it any wonder that he’d found every excuse he could possibly think of to extend his stay there in Willowvale Springs rather than just handing the project off to Allie, who was more than capable of handling it?
“Okay, fine. It was a close race, but you won it fair and square.” Vaughn chuckled. “So whatever you want—”
“You.” Allie’s expression had gone from gloating and victorious to soft and demure as she stood in front of him looking more vulnerable than he’d ever seen her before. Allie wrapped her arms around his shoulders, her eyes studying the shock evident in his as their lower bodies pressed together.
“What happened to us being sensible people?” Vaughn’s arms instinctively circled Allie’s waist, tugging her even closer, his gaze not leaving hers.
“Who says we aren’t being sensible?” Allie asked. “This makes perfect sense to me.” Her eyes drifted closed as she leaned in closer.
Vaughn swallowed hard. His heartbeat raged in his chest like Meg White’s drum line in The White Stripe’s “Seven Nation Army.”
Maybe Allie was right. Maybe the two of them together did make sense and they just needed to convince everyone else in their collective world of that.
During the past two weeks, he’d been trying to “be good” and get Allie out of his system. But he’d felt an aching sense of loss without their daily interactions, which had become the highlight of his day.
And what if they couldn’t convince Mr. Price, Rey and the rest of Allie’s brothers that the two of them were a good fit?
It didn’t matter. Because Vaughn was done fighting his growing feelings for Allie. He wanted her...desperately. And he’d come to need her in his world and in his life. Allie’s family would just have to accept that.
Vaughn drew in a deep breath and closed the space between them, finally tasting the soft lips that had taunted him for weeks.
He lifted Allie, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He backed her against the side of the pool, her soft curves pinned between the concrete wall and his hard body and growing length.
He ravaged the sweet mouth whose taste he’d imagined more times than he could remember. Allie Price was like a drug and he was sailing as high as a kite off of her taste, her warmth and the sweet little murmurs that increased in sound and intensity the longer they kissed. He swallowed the sensual sounds she made. Each one seemed to vibrate down his chest and go straight to his cock, making him increasingly desperate for her.
She broke their kiss and cradled his jaw. The moon was reflected in her dark eyes as she dragged a thumb across his lower lip. “I could really use a shower right now. Mind if I use yours?”
Vaughn froze, his mouth suddenly incapable of forming coherent words. His pulse raced and his dick strained against the thin layers of fabric between them. He swallowed hard and nodded clumsily. “Yes... I mean...no, I don’t mind at all. I’ll grab our things.”
Allie grinned, then moved toward the stainless-steel ladder. As she climbed the three short steps to exit the pool, one cheek bearing his handprint had escaped her black boy shorts.
Vaughn sank his teeth into his lower lip and climbed out of the pool, his body aching for her, and filled with heat despite the chilliness in the air surrounding them.
This was going to be a night neither of them would ever forget.